Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 504

It doesn't snow in Nantong every year. Sometimes when it does snow, it's sleet, so the snow either doesn't accumulate on the ground or, if it does, it's mixed with mud from the village roads, making it look dusty and dirty.

Fortunately, every few years, a proper snowfall will fall, allowing the local children to experience the snow-covered landscape that southerners yearn for and northerners take for granted.

Li Zhuiyuan used a shovel to shovel the snow into the well bucket, then carried the bucket to the second-floor terrace.

Ah Li is intently building a snowman.

With the girl's exquisite sculpting skills, she could easily create something comparable to a work of art. But this time, she simply patted and pressed with her hands, and an adorable snowman was already taking shape.

The boy who had collected enough snow squatted down beside her and offered a helping hand.

The world is not lacking in childish things, but in people willing to be childish together.

When a scarf is tied around the snowman's neck, it means its mission is accomplished.

Ah Li looked at the snowman she had made, and then at the boy beside her.

Li Zhuiyuan took the girl's cold hand in his, breathed on it, and then warmed it.

Aunt Liu leaned against the kitchen doorway, sunflower seed shells scattered all over the floor.

When the two children first came home, she could tell at a glance that they were both severely depleted, and this was after they had rested; their previous injuries would only be more serious.

Going along the river is going along the river, and life is life.

No one taught them; they figured it out themselves.

She remembered when she was a child, she would pester Ali to take her to build a snowman. Ali would always listen and shovel snow for her that was higher than the ancestral house. If she could be more diligent and quick, she should be able to finish building the snowman before the snow melts in spring.

Inside the stove, the firewood was crackling and popping as it burned.

Aunt Liu glanced at it and then clapped her hands.

People shouldn't just let anything good they see pop into their heads.

Wood has its advantages too.

If he weren't so dense, he would have brought back some "fairy" or "fairy" from outside when he crossed the river.

The fallen Dragon King's family bears the lonely burden of revival, and some young ladies from powerful families have a particular fondness for this.

Li Sanjiang returned humming a children's opera tune. He stood on the dam, stomped his feet to shake off the snow, and looked up at the two children on the terrace. His old face, which had been a little stiff from the cold, immediately thawed.

Looking again at Liu Yumei playing cards in the hall, Li Sanjiang frowned once more.

Sometimes, Li Sanjiang also found it quite strange how such a materialistic old lady could raise two sons and daughters-in-law who were hardworking.

"Grandpa."

"Hey."

Li Sanjiang went inside first, took out two small cloth bags, opened one, and found a beautifully packaged box of chocolates inside.

This was a gift from someone I met a while ago when I went to check the feng shui of a factory site for a boss from the south.

The elderly often have the habit of saving their good things and taking them out when their children come back, and Li Sanjiang is no exception.

The only difference is that while other families need to hoard and wait for the snacks to be distributed on schedule, for his family, it's just an everyday occurrence.

Li Sanjiang would only deliberately hoard things when he came across them at Aunt Zhang's shop or when they were hard to find in town.

Li Zhuiyuan opened the box, peeled three kernels, one for A Li, one for himself, and then put one in Li Sanjiang's mouth.

Li Sanjiang frowned and tasted it: "This candy, why is it a bit bitter? Little Marquis, take a look, is it expired?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "It's not expired, it tastes pretty good."

Li Sanjiang opened the second cloth bag: "All the formalities are completed. Once spring arrives, our family can start building the kiln."

The procedures were more complicated than expected, causing some delays. Today it's cold, snowing, and the ground is frozen, making it even more difficult to start work. Also, with the year-end approaching, demand has decreased.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Grandpa, I think we should build it first, and then we can start taking on business after the New Year."

Li Sanjiang: "Should we build it first?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Mm."

Li Sanjiang: "Alright, let's start construction then. I'll go and calculate an auspicious day to begin."

Li Zhuiyuan led A Li back to the room. The hot water that had been poured into the basin earlier was still warm. Li Zhuiyuan picked up the thermos and added some water, then scalded the towel to warm A Li's face.

Although the girl was dressed and made up by her grandmother every morning, it was only her hair and clothes that were styled; Grandma Liu never put rouge on A-Li.

It's very convenient to apply to the face, leaving only a lovely rosy glow without ruining your makeup.

The boy took the Jianlibao (a type of Chinese herbal tea) from the basin, opened it, inserted a straw, and handed it to the girl.

The girl sat at the drawing table, sipping her drink, her gaze gradually settling on the various tools on the table that were waiting to be repaired.

There's a lot of work to do.

The dragon-patterned compass from the Chen family needs to be slightly adjusted to suit the young man's usage habits, while the original purple-gold compass needs to be adjusted to a simpler, more basic version so that it can be given to Tan Wenbin. As for the one in Tan Wenbin's hands, the error correction formula needs to be engraved on it before it is handed over to Lin Shuyou.

The armor of the two generals, Zeng and Sun, was completely damaged and needed to be repaired.

The pages of "The Book Without Words" were scattered, but they still had to be bound together again.

In addition, the local specialties brought by Mu Qiuying should be put to good use as soon as possible to make thunder talismans and prepare Ming family medicine pills.

All of this had to be handled by Ah Li, with Li Zhuiyuan only able to assist at most, as the young man lacked expertise in talisman making and compass making.

After the boy left, Ah Li put the drink aside, picked up the carving knife, and tapped the dragon-patterned compass.

The evil dragon, who had been sleeping comfortably inside, emerged. Instinctively wanting to vent its morning grumpiness, it immediately coiled itself into a semi-transparent mosquito coil upon seeing Ah Li.

Ah Li then pulled out a piece of paper from the pages of the "Wordless Book." The woman on the paper was drawn in very light colors, so light that only the outline of her body was visible, and her clothes were thin.

The girl held a calligraphy brush in her other hand, dipped it in red paint, and dripped a drop onto the paper.

The red color blends in, and the clothes on the woman in the "Evil Book" come into view, drifting neatly into the pile of papers, all of which are silently arranged, waiting to be bound.

Under the drawing table, there was a large bag. A red hand peeked out from the bag, its fingertips acting as feet, as if it was sneaking out for a stroll.

It had just stepped out of the drawing table when it stopped, turned around, and saw that the girl was looking right at it.

The red hand silently returned the way it came, came to the pocket, took out the broken blood porcelain pieces one by one, and rebuilt the blood porcelain bottle for itself.

Repairing the items is not just a technical issue. Given the amount of evil items the boy currently possesses, even a master repairman would likely not only fail to repair them, but would probably become their food instead.

Only a girl sitting here could intimidate them all.

Li Zhuiyuan carried his can of drink downstairs. Downstairs, Liu Yumei's card game from the morning had just ended.

When she lost her composure before, she lost too much money at once, but these past few days Liu Yumei has been winning money.

Liu Jinxia and her friends breathed a sigh of relief. A small win was just a fun surprise; a big win would only damage their relationship.

After the boy came down, Liu Yumei also got up, and the two of them went into the east room one after the other.

After offering incense to the ancestral tablets in his home, Li Zhuiyuan sat down on the other side of the offering table.

Li Zhuiyuan had already told Liu Yumei about the Chen family's affairs, and Liu Yumei could also get supplementary information from Jianghu (江湖, the martial arts world) sources.

“Binbin called this morning. He said that all the poor relatives at home have been settled back, and he and Ayou will be able to go home tomorrow.”

Liu Yumei smiled and said, "That's great. You've done a good job as the head of the family. You even managed to take your poor relatives on a trip to Hainan."

Li Zhuiyuan: "This time, I really owe it to my relatives for their help."

Liu Yumei: "They complement each other."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Next..."

Liu Yumei: "Xiaoyuan, you don't need to tell Grandma what to do next. Just leave instructions in advance if you need Grandma to do anything. If you feel it's unnecessary to leave instructions, Grandma will assume that you think you should do what Grandma thinks is right."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Thank you, Grandma."

Liu Yumei: "We are two families, so let's not speak like three families."

Grandma Liu picked up her teacup to hide her slightly flushed face. Now that the burden was lifted, she felt more and more relaxed.

When I'm free at home, I play cards; when I'm out, I fight people.

The elders' lives were far too comfortable.

Li Zhuiyuan sat with Liu Yumei for a while longer. The old man and the young man stopped talking about the martial arts world. Liu Yumei told Li Zhuiyuan a lot about what had happened in the village recently. These were all things that Liu Jinxia and the others had told her at the mahjong table. She would digest them herself and then tell them to the young man.

As the obsession gradually dissipates and the pent-up emotions slowly fade away, there is finally room in my heart to accommodate the little things in life.

After she had finished speaking, Liu Yumei came back to her senses and laughed, "Hehe, Grandma must have been annoyed by your nagging, right?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "No, I like listening to it."

Liu Yumei: "That's a half-hearted lie."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I'm not lying. Every time I go out and come back, I feel like I'm a human being again."

After crossing Shijia Bridge and entering Siyuan Village, the hustle and bustle of the martial arts world seemed to be completely shut out.

The spirit of the Dragon King, the faceless man, the Emperor of Fengdu... all of these were pulled far away, as if they were just mythical tales.

Perhaps this is the deepest part of one's own consciousness where the true self resides, and also the reason for Siyuan Village.

After leaving the east room, Li Zhuiyuan went to the bearded man's house.

I need to go and appease the one under the peach grove, since I left so many ladybugs there and asked him to look after them.

From a distance, Li Zhuiyuan saw Benben riding his little black horse across the snow.

Luo Xiaoyu went out for a walk along the river and hasn't returned yet. He missed an afternoon of his usual morning, afternoon, and evening self-study sessions.

Benben was also clever; he transferred what he had learned from Luo Xiaoyu to Master Sun.

The former is the talented type, the latter is the traditional type, and Benben acts as a bridge between the two, causing Master Sun to often fall into long periods of contemplation due to the inspiration he receives from Luo Xiaoyu.

In this way, Master Sun wouldn't have time to teach, and Benben could have a whole day to play.

Moreover, after the resentment accumulated by the two vengeful infants was exhausted, they were instead affected by Benben. Although Xiao Yingying would unfold the scroll on the bed every night as instructed, the scene of the three children learning and progressing together gradually became rare, and it turned into Benben playing games with the two vengeful infants in the room.

Benben proved with his actions that happiness is something you have to work hard for.

Until he saw Li Zhuiyuan reappear in his field of vision.

Little Black came to a sudden stop, and Benben tumbled into the snowdrift in front of him. After sitting up, his eyes remained wide open and his mouth slightly agape.

He knew that his good days were about to come to an end.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't say anything, but continued walking towards this place.

Benben stood up, took Xiao Hei's hand, and obediently followed him home.

When Xiao Yingying saw Li Zhuiyuan arrive, she immediately rode her tricycle to town to buy wine.

Master Sun sat on the open ground in front of the peach grove, staring blankly at a chess manual, his body covered in snow, looking like an old man covered in snow.

Li Zhuiyuan walked to the side, reached out, and tapped several squares in succession.

Master Sun was first puzzled, then suddenly realized, and finally understood: "So that's how it is!"

Achoo! Achoo!

After regaining consciousness, Master Sun sneezed several times.

The old man awkwardly got up and bowed to Li Zhuiyuan. After glancing at Benben, who was obediently touching his fingers behind the boy, he realized that the child had used him as a pretext to attack him.

She felt incredibly embarrassed, but not angry. Ultimately, it was her future grandson-in-law who was so clever.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Master Sun, your spirit of learning until old age is truly admirable. I have some notes on formations that you may borrow to take home and study in seclusion."

Master Sun bowed again: "I am guilty, I have failed in my duty!"

Li Zhuiyuan said nothing more, nodded to the Taoist priest, and turned to walk into the peach grove.

Little Black lay quietly to the side. Master Sun spread out the new basic course materials, and Benben obediently sat back in his chair and picked up his pen.

In the peach orchard, holes can be seen everywhere, the result of a group of ladybugs digging and burrowing.

Before even reaching the pool, Li Zhuiyuan could already guess how sour Qing'an's face would be later.

Fortunately, because Li Zhuiyuan had just given Benben a dressing-down on his studies, Qing'an, upon seeing the young man arrive, simply picked up his teacup, turned to the side, and uttered a sigh:
"Only you can cure this child."

“You can teach me yourself.”

“I can’t teach him. This child is smart. He knows who really likes him, so he can always find a way to get away with things. He doesn’t dare to act recklessly in front of you because he knows you really don’t like him.”

The funny thing is, even though you don't like him, you still have to groom him as someone who can bail you out and clean up the mess in the future.

You didn't value this much before, but now you care more and more. It seems you've seen too many unfilial and incompetent descendants outside and have come to realize how important a qualified successor is.

Or perhaps you're genuinely starting to worry about what happens after you die, whether it's due to approaching the end of your lifespan or a natural disaster.

Li Zhuiyuan sat down by the pool and poured tea:

"During this trip to Qiongya, I managed to wake Chen Yunhai up."

"boom!"

Qing'an immediately slammed his palm on the table, sending the teapot and teacups flying, while the wine pot and wine cups were placed on top.

The prelude was clear, and they had a tacit understanding. He knew that the boy was bringing him some snacks to go with his drinks.

Li Zhuiyuan began his narration.

Qing'an started drinking.

After the stored wine was finished, Xiao Yingying went back and bought more, placing the wine jars on the offering table.

After Li Zhuiyuan finished speaking, he got up to leave.

Qing An continued to drink alone without making any comments. Judging from this, Xiao Yingying would have to go out to buy groceries twice more before dark, as he would have to reheat the dishes several times.

Memories of the past and sighs of the present—all these need to be expressed through the aroma of alcohol.

Li Zhuiyuan stopped and turned around, saying:
"Chen Yunhai told me to tell you: 'Don't be afraid, they are all waiting for you down there.'"

Qing An nodded.

Li Zhuiyuan continued walking out, and behind him came Qing An's faint reply:
"Someone has to be the last one to go."

After leaving the peach orchard, Li Zhuiyuan went up to the dam and entered the house of the bearded man.

The young man pushed open the door to Xiao Yingying's bedroom and walked in.

The scroll hanging on the bed tightened slightly because of his arrival.

Li Zhuiyuan remained silent, simply watching it.

After a while, the boy left the room.

It is indeed unfair to place responsibility and pressure on them; they are just children, or even unborn children.

But in this world, there is no such thing as fairness that falls from the sky.

If Li Zhuiyuan wins in the end, they can choose to live the life they want, or even choose not to enter the Xuanmen and live their lives as ordinary people.

But if Li Zhuiyuan loses, this family will need to rely on them to support it. Grandma Liu's experience is there for all to see. When it comes to that critical moment, when others are planning to eliminate all your relatives and friends, they won't have the time to listen to your cries about fairness or unfairness.

On his way home, Li Zhuiyuan saw three large trucks drive into the village road, all loaded with goods.

Chen Xiyuan was sitting in the passenger seat of the first car.

She leaned out of the car window, waving the flute in her hand that was so carelessly held together with tape:
"Little brother, I'm back!"

Sister Chen is back, and this time, she brought back all her belongings.

Following an old custom, Chen Xiyuan directed the driver to unload the goods into the peach orchard.

Li Zhuiyuan went back first to inform Aunt Liu to cook an extra pot of rice that evening.

With Chen Xiyuan's supplies, the underground layout materials for Taiye Kiln Factory are now secure.

Qing An was drunk and ignored Chen Xiyuan's offensive act of using his place as a warehouse again.

Chen Xiyuan went in to take a look and saw that Qing'an didn't seem to be in the mood for the ensemble today, so she decided to go back to Aunt Liu for a meal.

Just before she left, a peach branch caught on the jade flute at her waist.

Chen Xiyuan untied the broken jade flute, hung it on a peach branch, and continued skipping away.

"Old lady!"

"Sister!"

"Uncle Qin...Brother!"

Unlike her previous visits to Grandpa Li's house where she was timid and hesitant, she was finally able to regain her cheerful self here after the feud between her grandfather and her younger brother was resolved.

Liu Yumei beckoned to her, gesturing for her to come over and have some snacks.

After quickly finishing off several plates of snacks, Chen Xiyuan patted her stomach, as if she had just whetted her appetite.

Liu Yumei didn't ask about her grandparents' situation, and Chen Xiyuan didn't bring it up either.

The past, besides the events themselves, also includes the feelings of the past, which need not be mentioned again.

To be fair, Liu Yumei really liked this eldest girl, mainly because she was indeed quite likable.

During the meal, upon learning that Li Sanjiang planned to open a brick kiln, Chen Xiyuan rolled up her sleeves, raised her hand, and said that she would definitely go and help.

Li Sanjiang laughed heartily and said, "I appreciate your kind intentions, girl," without taking it to heart.

The main reason is that the great-grandfather has never witnessed Chen Xiyuan's terrifying work ethic. Once the domain is activated, it won't be long before even the hardest frozen soil turns into mud.

After dinner, Ah Li wanted to continue her repair work upstairs, but Li Zhuiyuan held her hand.

Li Zhuiyuan glanced at the east room, and A-Li understood. She went back to take a bath and prepared to rest early.

Everyone's deficits haven't been fully recovered, so we need to take a break.

Uncle Qin carried hot water back and forth from the kitchen to the bathtub in the east room.

Chen Xiyuan helped Aunt Liu wash the dishes and pots. Aunt Liu: "Did you bring all your belongings with you?"

Chen Xiyuan: "Hoo!"

If the array surrounding the cave hadn't aged so much that it had blended into the surrounding environment, she would have even taken down the array materials and packed them up to bring over.

Aunt Liu: "Are you planning to settle down here in the future?"

Chen Xiyuan: "Hoo!"

Aunt Liu: "That's good. I'll tidy up this side of the west room and make a bedroom for you."

Chen Xiyuan: "Sister, there's no need for that. I'll just sleep in the coffin."

Aunt Liu: "If you sleep in the coffin, it won't be convenient for Zhuangzhuang and the others."

At this moment, Li Zhuiyuan, who was standing outside, turned his gaze in this direction.

Chen Xiyuan wiped her hands: "Sister, my little brother is calling me, I'll go now."

Aunt Liu smiled and nodded, watching Chen Xiyuan and Xiao Yuan walk towards the back of the house together.

Uncle Qin returned with the empty bucket and added cold water to the pot.

Aunt Liu: "It's really fortunate that our Xiao Yuan is still young, otherwise, things could have been very different."

Uncle Qin asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

Aunt Liu: "This girl not only settled down here, but also brought her own dowry."

Uncle Qin: "I think you're overthinking it. They just see Xiao Yuan as a younger brother."

Aunt Liu: "Like you treat me like a 'little sister'?"

Uncle Qin: "I think you're right to be cautious; we do need to be careful."

Aunt Liu: "Alright, it's a rare snowy day, come with me for a walk and get some fresh air."

Uncle Qin: "Alright, wait until this pot of water is boiled, the mistress will need it later."

Aunt Liu: "Okay, call me when you're done. I'm going back to my room to lie down for a while."

After washing the cloth and tossing it on the rack, Aunt Liu walked out of the kitchen and went back to the west room to lie down.

Several pots of water were boiling enough, but the call for help was delayed. Aunt Liu closed her eyes and was almost asleep.

The door was pushed open.

"Go get some fresh air?"

Aunt Liu sat up in bed and asked, "Is the water boiled?"

"Yes, it's open."

"It's cold here."

Uncle Qin scratched his head: "It's definitely colder this year than in previous years. I'll build a kang (heated brick bed) for you in the house tomorrow."

Aunt Liu: "And then they'd throw you inside and burn you that night, right?"

Uncle Qin: "That works too, anyway, I can withstand a lot of heat."

Aunt Liu smiled and put on a coat.

Under the moonlight and amidst the snow, two people walked on the thick snow, listening to the crisp sound, leaving two sets of footprints behind – a beautiful memory indeed.

Aunt Liu has figured it out: if she wants to eat fine bran, she has to pound it herself.

However, when Aunt Liu enthusiastically led Uncle Qin out of the house, just as they were about to go down to the dam for a walk in the snow, she froze.

No wonder I waited so long; it turned out that Uncle Qin had cleared all the snow from the small path to the long stretch of village road.

Moreover, even the trees on both sides of the road, which were originally covered with thick snow and gleaming in the moonlight, were all shaken clean by someone's breath.

Uncle Qin: "I was thinking of clearing it up first, so that when you come out for some fresh air later, it will be easier for you to walk, and you won't have to worry about the snow falling from the trees and hitting you."

……

The temple behind the house.

Chen Xiyuan kept licking her lips, filled with anticipation.

The little boy sat opposite her, holding the bead in his hand.

In the past, it was always her younger brother who taught her things, but this time, with her younger brother trying to open up new domains, she finally had the opportunity to teach him.

This bead is an apology from Old Master Chen to Li Zhuiyuan.

After obtaining it, Li Zhuiyuan did not rush to integrate it into his body. Instead, he used a red thread every day to remove the residual aura belonging to Old Master Chen from the bead. Now, the bead has become very pure.

Li Zhuiyuan cut his right palm, placed the bead on it, closed his eyes, and activated the "Listening to the Sea and Watching the Tide Technique." The bead was drawn in and actively merged into the boy's wound.

Chen Xiyuan watched as her grandfather's "things" were taken in by her little brother without feeling the slightest bit unhappy. Before leaving home, she went to say goodbye to her grandmother and saw her pushing her grandfather in a wheelchair, taking him for a walk on the beach.

This was the best outcome she had ever imagined after that incident.

Li Zhuiyuan opened his eyes.

Chen Xiyuan: "Little brother, you need to feel and resonate with it with your heart..."

Before Teacher Chen could finish her first sentence, she saw a pure wave appear around the little boy, encompassing her completely. Then, the wave took shape and became fixed.

Domain opening successful on the first try!
Chen Xiyuan pouted, feeling both surprised and not entirely surprised.

Every genius who has faced childhood must learn to mend their pride after it has been crushed.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Expand your domain step by step and let it collide with mine."

The young man wanted to test the strength of his "pseudo-domain".

Chen Xiyuan expanded her domain, and soon, a confrontation ensued between the two sides.

Li Zhuiyuan gradually guided Chen Xiyuan to increase the intensity, and after reaching a critical point, Li Zhuiyuan signaled to stop and retract the domain.

Li Zhuiyuan was very satisfied with the strength of the domain.

However, his domain was, after all, an outsider. Even though he removed all of Old Master Chen's aura, the underlying structure of the bead was still based on Old Master Chen's model. It was not perfect, nor did it meet Li Zhuiyuan's expectations, yet he could not make any changes.

Moreover, in terms of fluidity and malleability, my domain cannot compare with Chen Xiyuan's domain in front of me.

What Chen Xiyuan has now is a new product born from breakthrough and enlightenment, and from destruction to creation; what he holds in his hand is a stereotypical old object from the previous era.

If you want to improve, you have to break down the underlying architecture. If you break down the underlying architecture, the whole thing becomes useless, and it's like you have to spend thirty years rebuilding it...

Treating it as a cultivation technique would be quite useless, as it would eliminate the possibility of further transformation. However, if used as a protective artifact, it would be extremely useful and even incredibly precious.

In times of chaos and crisis, or when facing close-quarters assassination, activating this domain will immediately provide protection and peace of mind.

Li Zhuiyuan: "You must be tired from the journey, go and rest."

Chen Xiyuan: "Little brother, I'm not tired."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I'm sorry."

Chen Xiyuan: "Hmm? Little brother, what do you mean by that?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "I have something to do that cannot be known to anyone else, so I would like to ask you to excuse yourself for now."

Chen Xiyuan: "Hehe, I understand."

Miss Chen stood up and left the temple.

Li Zhuiyuan closed the temple.

The altar beneath him began to operate, and candles spontaneously combusted.

Li Zhuiyuan activated Wei Zhengdao's "Black Book Secret Technique," but this time, there was no corpse in front of the boy, nor any puppets or evil spirits for him to control, because this time, the boy's secret technique was being used on himself.

He is trying to integrate and draw upon the spiritual energy within his own body.

In an instant, a flood of memories rushed in, as if igniting and exploding all the past events.

In Li Zhuiyuan's eyes, first a resilient endurance appeared, then his left eye turned cold and indifferent, quickly digesting these side effects.

This is the main body; it has exerted its power.

Cold sweat streamed down the boy's face, and his head drooped. All the candles in the temple went out instantly, and the altar stopped working.

"Huh...huh..."

Li Zhuiyuan slowly raised his head.

Deep within his consciousness, the original being standing by the fishpond reached out and forcibly intercepted the fish that had floated into the air, pressing it back into the fishpond.

Main body: "This is the road, that's right."

In reality, Li Zhuiyuan murmured:

"This is the wrong path Wei Zhengdao took."

“In the past, I could only absorb resentment and then take it out to use when needed, but that’s not how it’s actually used.”

"First, integrate and compress the spirit within your body. Then, through plundering the outside world, draw fish from the pond into your body. Continue to integrate and compress, repeating this cycle until the spiritual thoughts within your body are filled to an unbelievable degree. After reaching the limit each time, find a way to transform quantitative change into qualitative change."

"This is why Wei Zhengdao feeds on evil spirits; he is truly using the spiritual energy of evil spirits to nourish his physical body."

"Therefore, Wei Zhengdao was able to create so many clones."

"No wonder he couldn't die, because in the end, he probably filled his physical body with... no, he transformed into a spirit."

"Some evil spirits are difficult to kill and require the passage of time to erode them because their spiritual energy is special. Even if there is only a tiny remnant, they can still have the opportunity to rise again."

Li Zhuiyuan reached out, plucked a strand of his hair, and examined it closely.

"He must have gone to an extremely extreme level, so that even a single hair he plucked was comparable to an evil spirit that was difficult to suppress."

"Qing An only learned the 'Black Book Secret Techniques'. He was far from reaching that level. He only used it to control evil spirits, which led him astray and into a state of confusion."

"But because Wei Zhengdao and I have the same illness, this kind of confusion is ineffective for us. Wei Zhengdao, on the contrary, has taken his illness to the extreme."

"I can't even imagine how many evil spirits I would have to swallow and transform to get to that point..."

"No wonder the martial arts world was so quiet during the time when Wei Zhengdao became the Dragon King. It wasn't quiet, it was clean."

He reveled in the thrill of constant transformation and improvement, like a perfectionist who was willing to do anything to reach the ultimate.

But it was precisely this extreme that made dying a luxury for him later on.

Because he has almost transformed himself into the most difficult evil spirit to suppress throughout history!
Li Zhuiyuan looked at the strand of hair in his hand, and this time, a hint of fear appeared in his eyes.

Because he seemed to see his future self also falling into this tormenting "immortality".

It's equivalent to an ordinary person being in a state of constant drowning, fully conscious. They can clearly see the shore, trees, sun, and blue sky, but they can never surface, never die, and never find release.

"No wonder Heaven forbids me from practicing martial arts."

When you first went to hell, the shadow of the Emperor of Fengdu told you: You are very smart. In order not to provoke it, you deliberately did not practice martial arts.

The emperor saw the result, but he didn't see the essence of the process.

There is a tacit understanding between Heaven and the young man: they will not practice martial arts.

This is indeed because they fear that a young man who has made up for his last weakness after practicing martial arts will be very difficult to kill; but only Heaven truly knows just how difficult the freak who appeared back then was to kill!

Li Zhuiyuan stood up, walked down from the altar, went to the water vat, scooped up water, and splashed it on his face.

It had stopped before, and had not started.

When he first began to transfer the evil spiritual thoughts he had devoured into his own body, it marked the birth of the second Wei Zhengdao, signifying a complete break with the Heavenly Dao.

Once the arrow is released, there is no turning back. The cruelest suppression from the Heavenly Dao will force you to race against time, constantly devouring and strengthening yourself, feeding yourself into a great evil.

This is not mutual destruction; mutual destruction seems far better than this. For me, it is endless regret and a living hell that will last for many years.

Because all the "immortals" he had ever seen were neither human nor ghost.

The soaking wet boy manipulated the dojo, making the area above his head transparent, revealing the night sky, and allowing the outside wind to blow in and hit him, causing his thin body to tremble uncontrollably.

The boy looked up at the countless stars in the night sky, unable to determine which one was his eye.

"Don't force me."

……

"We've arrived at the dock. Time to disembark. Slow down, don't push!"

Zhao Yi disembarked and stood once again at Fengdu Wharf.

This was not his first time in Fengdu, but he felt similarly anxious and apprehensive on both occasions.

Even though he had seen many storms before, his legs began to tremble involuntarily.

"Master, why are your legs shaking?"

"Miguang, it's about to rain, and your master's old leg pain is acting up again."

“Master, I didn’t know you had this problem before. Also, Master, please don’t call me Miguang.”

“Why can’t I call him Miguang? It sounds so nice! Let me tell you, I’m still waiting to go with you to that very rich temple to enjoy a peaceful and comfortable retirement.”

Master Yang gestured for his apprentice to help him up. The reason his legs were shaking today was because he had stayed up all night in high spirits last night.

Zhao Yi's gaze swept over the master and apprentice, and he silently followed them up Ghost Street.

As Zhao Yi walked, he noticed that many shopkeepers on both sides of the street were pointing at him and whispering among themselves.

He even listened intently, and what he heard shocked him.

The version of the story is that he dumped Yin Meng, who went back to her hometown and found an honest man. But he couldn't bear to leave her, so he came back to find Yin Meng and is about to meet that honest man to see who Yin Meng will ultimately choose.

No, if Runsheng finds out that you aunties are spreading lies and making up stories, what should I do?
The last time Zhao Yi felt this strong sense of vigilance was when he was having dinner at his grandparents' house, when Yingzi at the table made those kinds of advances towards him.

When Zhao Yi arrived at the entrance of the Yin family's coffin shop, he saw that Runsheng was busy making coffins inside, while Yin Meng sat next to him, eating snacks and pulling incense sticks out of the incense burner and holding them to Runsheng's lips so that he could take a sip when he had a moment.

"Hello you all."

The two people in the shop both turned to look at Zhao Yi.

Runsheng was not surprised by this. When they were in Qiongya, Zhao Yi had said that he wanted to come over. However, he came directly to Fengdu, while Zhao Yi went back to Jiujiang first, which delayed him for a few days.

Yin Meng's eyes widened in shock: "My God, you actually dared to come!"

Zhao Yi took out a handkerchief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

Yin Meng's reaction shows that Zhao Yi is indeed favored by the emperor.

Yin Meng walked quickly to Zhao Yi, looked him up and down, and even tugged at his clothes to confirm that the Zhao Yi in front of her was a real person and not a puppet.

Outside the coffin shop, many neighbors were looking in this direction, and some even came over with their rice bowls in hand.

Yin Meng: "No, how dare you?"

Zhao Yi: "I was homesick, so I came back to visit."

Yin Meng: "Your home is in Jiujiang."

Zhao Yi: "But my family is in Fengdu."

Yin Meng: "You still want to go down to visit your relatives?"

Zhao Yi: "Ahem... that's not necessary, it's too much trouble. I just came here to show my face. There are many forces watching me now, so I have to go back to Fengdu every now and then to perform my duties."

"By the way, Runsheng, when are you leaving?"

Runsheng: "Soon."

Zhao Yi: "You've only been here a few days, haven't you? Why don't you stay a little longer? Anyway, there's plenty of time before the next wave."

Runsheng: "We need to build a kiln at home, but we're short-handed."

Zhao Yi: "It's alright. A-Jing and the others should be sneaking into Nantong in the next few days. Our master won't be short of mules to use."

Yin Meng shook her head: "That won't do. Grandpa Li lent us money to build a house, so we definitely need to help him out while he's working."

Zhao Yi: "Okay, okay, Runsheng, remember to call me when you leave, but I'm not going back to Nantong."

Yin Meng: "Why?"

Zhao Yi: "I don't believe that the guy surnamed Li just wants to build a kiln. If I go to Nantong right now, he'll just make me a contractor."

"I'm hungry, let's eat, it's on me."

Yin Meng: "Let's have hot pot. Go to the restaurant across the street. You go order the broth and vegetables first. Runsheng and I will finish painting this coffin and then come over."

Zhao Yi walked out of the coffin shop, entered the hot pot restaurant, sat down, and took the menu to start selecting items.

After making my selection, I looked up and was about to hand the menu to the shopkeeper when I suddenly noticed an elderly man sitting by the window diagonally opposite, bathed in sunlight. It was Mr. Zhai!
Zhao Yi's heart immediately skipped a beat.

Old Zhai recognized Zhao Yi and asked with a smile, "Are you... Xiao Yuan's older brother?"

Zhao Yi: "Yes, it's me, it's me. What are you doing here, sir?"

Professor Zhai: "There's a laboratory here, I've come here to see the latest research results."

Seeing that Elder Zhai was indeed the real Elder Zhai, Zhao Yi's heart, which had sunk to the bottom, was lifted again. He took out a cigarette, walked over, and handed it to Elder Zhai, saying:
"What a coincidence! I never expected to see you here, Professor. Haha, what a coincidence! I'm just getting takeout for my friend. I'm not eating here. I'll pick up the food and leave in a bit. So, I'll pay for your table. See you later!"

At this moment, a dark cloud in the sky above blocked out the sunlight, and Old Master Zhai, who had been sitting in the warm sun, was now in the shadows.

The once bustling hot pot restaurant was instantly plunged into a deathly silence and chill.

Everyone in the shop was pale and ashen-faced. The waiters were carrying bloody human flesh, and the pots bubbling with human heads were filled with blood.

In the hot pot in front of Zhao Yi, two rotten dogs were floating on the left and right sides.

Zhao Yi's heart skipped a beat again. This time, it didn't just sink to the bottom, but shattered into pieces. This was really bad!

Old Zhai: "What did you just call me?"

Zhao Yi swallowed hard, his teeth chattering, and with a determined look in his eyes, he craned his neck and shouted:
"Godfather!"

(End of this chapter)